Tuesday, May 13, 2003 11:55 AM
I have been reading with interest the small, but growing number of situations where a print or television journalist's employer orders them to stop producing his/her weblog, even though the weblog is produced at the employee's own expense and on their own time. The legality of the employer's action is a central question which I expect will be taken to the courts in time.
Most recently, Denis Horgan, a columnist at the Hartford Courant was ordered to stop blogging. As Mr. Horgan states on his weblog, "It is with the most profound regret that I am compelled to announce that the editor of The Hartford Courant, a proud and wonderful newspaper of which I am honored to count myself a staff member, has ruled that I am no longer allowed to operate a column on this web page. Despite the fact that this page is operated on my own time and at my own expense, that it does not compete with the newspaper or draw upon any of its resources, the editor has ruled that its operation is a conflict of interest. It is not my role to explain this decision, one with which I disagree deeply, but I have no option but to suspend the column or commentary activities here. The page will remain open as I explore my rights and options. The "Feedback" exchange function will continue should anyone wish to continue to discuss matters of interest. The links to other columnists, services and the Bill of Rights will also remain open for those wishing to explore them."
The Hartford Courant, for its part, appears to be concerned about a conflict of interest in having one of its journalists producing competing content, including opinions commentary on the web, outside of the paper's purview (see article in Hartford Advocate).
As with most legal issues, there are likely layers of unique issues in the Horgan case. Regardless, the core question remains: can a journalist freely blog outside of an employer-sponsored weblog? Stay tuned...